decisions, decisions

I apologize for the past couple weeks off the grid (but not really, because they were so completely incredible). My boyfriend and I were off on a roadtrip, our two dogs in tow, from Vancouver, Canada to Death Valley, California.

(Yes, I will post photos soon – once I’ve managed to sort through the 500+ that we took.)

The best and weirdest thing about the roadtrip was not having phone service or wifi for almost all of it. Anyone who’s following along on Instagram (join the bandwagon, which is actually much more like a small Radio Flyer, here) may have caught a few photos, but I’ve been largely disconnected.

In the few instances where we did have internet, I wondered about what to share. How perfect does an ice cream cone need to be before it’s worthy of posting? If I filter and publish all my pictures of trees, will people get bored? If I don’t post 800 photos of my boyfriend and myself, will the internet think we aren’t super in love and therefore basically assume that I am (or, more worryingly, that he is) single? My dog is always a safe choice, right? How many hashtags are appropriate?

These are complicated things to worry about. Less complicated? Snacks. We were all over these homemade granola bars.

Note: I know that a collective groan arises whenever kitchen scales are mentioned in America, but I promise, they make everything so much easier. All you need to do is put a large bowl on the scale, and tare it between every measurement. More precision; less dirty dishes.

Ingredients

240g old-fashioned rolled oats, separated

120g medium shredded unsweetened coconut

130g wheat germ (the original recipe, linked above, offers alternatives if you need to make these gluten-free)

5g (1 tsp) sea salt

2g (a few shakes) cinnamon

a small shake of nutmeg

140g raisins

140g mixed dried fruit (I used a tropical dried fruit mix from the bulk section of the grocery store)

150g chocolate chips

130g nut butter (I used a macadamia and cashew mix because of peanut allergies, but feel free to use whatever)

105g coconut oil, liquified

85g honey

85g corn syrup (you can also use more honey, or maple syrup. I was just using up what I had at home)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13″ pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, pulse 40g of the oats until they become a flour consistency.

Place a large bowl on a kitchen scale. Add all of the ingredients, resetting the scale between each addition.

Stir really well.

Scoop into the prepared pan, and smooth everything out evenly. Then press everything down as flat as you can get it. I rinsed my hands before doing this so the mixture wouldn’t stick to me as much. You can also use a piece of parchment paper on top of the granola before pressing it down.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the centre is golden and the edges are starting to darken.

Set on the counter to cool for about an hour, then put in the fridge. Remove from pan and slice after about another hour. (The colder it is, the easier it will be to slice.) I brought the entire batch on the roadtrip and they did fine through the hot and cold temperatures, but if you have the option (because, for example, you’re the best parent ever and are making them for back to school snacks) I would suggest storing them in the freezer.